Leather blacking



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. B. BATGHEL'DER.

LEATHER BLAGKING, OOLORING, AND DRESSING MACHINE. N0.v 251.401. Patented Dec. 27.1881.

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I. B. BATGHELDER.

LEATHER BLAOKING, COLORING, AND DRESSING MACHINE.

No. 251,401. Patented Dec. 27,1881.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

FRED B. BATOHELDER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LEATHER BLAGKING, COLORING, AND DRESSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,401, dated December 2'7, 1881.

Application filed April 4, 1881. (No model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED B. BATOHELDER, of Boston, Suffolk county, State of Massachusetts, h ave invented an I mprovement in Leather Blacking, Coloring, or Dressing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a speciti-. cation.

This invention in machines forblacking, coloring, or dressing leather, hides, or skins has for its object the production of an efficient machine for this purpose, it applying automatically to the said hide or skin blacking, paste, stains, or other liquid dressin gor material commonly applied to the same to prepare it for use and market.

My invention consists, chiefly, in a rotating supporting-surface for the leather, a receptacle for blackin gordressin g, receptacle-roller therein, and ablackin g or dressing applyingbrush or roller located between the receptacle-roller and the said. supporting-surface, combined with a wiper or cleaner to operate substantially as hereinafter described; also, in a blacking or dressing applying brush or roller and rotating supporting-surface, combined with a spatterguard and spatter-roller below it, and with a wiper for the supportin g-surface, as will be hereinafter described; also, in a blacking or dressing applying brush or roller and rotating supporting-surface, combined with a roller and holding-bar to act upon and hold the leather, as will be hereinafter described; also, in a blacking or dressing applying brush or roller and rotating supporting-surface for the leather, combined with a movable or traveling surface to receive the blacked or dressed hide or skin from the said supporting-surface, as will be hereinafter described. v

Figure 1 is a left-hand-side elevation of a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a front view thereof, with the table it omitted; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail to be referred to; Fig. 5, a detail in top view of Fig. 4, with the brush 0 omitted; and Fig. 6 is a modification to be referred to.

The frame-work A will be of suitable shape to sustain the working parts. The powershaft at, having thereon a belt-wheel, a, driven in any proper way, has also a worm, a which engages the worm-gear a secured to one of the journals of the hide or skin supporting surface or, herein shown as a cylindrical surface, which by its rotation or movement acts to feed the hide or skin B through the machine at the desired speed. The journal of this supporting-surface a is also provided with a toothed wheel, b, (see Fig. 2, and shown in Fig. 1,) by breaking out the worm-gear M. This toothed wheel I) engages a pinion, 1), connected with a toothed gear, 11 that engages an idle-gear, b and through it drives the pinion 1) on the roller b (see Fig. 3,) located at the rear of the blacking or dressing applying brush or roller 0, and immediately below the edge of the spatter-guard d, the said roller 1) rotating in the same direction as the brush or roller '0, and just in contact with it, serving to convey from the spatter-guard to the brush or roller 0 the material thrown therefrom into the spatterguard during the rotation of the said brush or roller, the roller 12 also serving to itself arrest theliquid dressing thrown tangentially from the brush or roller 0, and by its rotation keep the blacking or dressing thrown from the brush or roller 0 from dropping upon the leather at the rear of the supporting-surface a The blacking or dressing applying brush or roller will preferably be clothed with bristles; but it might be covered with asponge, felt, or other surface capable of receiving blacking or dressing and applying it to the hide or skin, and so, also, I desire to be understood that I consider a flat brush as an equivalent. One of the journals of this blacking or dressing applying brush 0 has upon it a belt-pulley, c, by which the said brush or roller is driven independently at any desired speed.

The blacking or liquid dressing, or material to be applied to the upper surface of the hide or skin B, is placed in the receptacle 0, herein shown as an open box, the sides of which, at its lower end, are concaved to fit theperiphery of the receptacle-roller e, whichmay be made to travel more or less near the straight lower edge, 2, of the bottom of the said receptacle by means of the adj ustin g-screws 0 the amount of space between the edge of the bottom of ICO the receptacle 6 and the roller 6 determining the amount of blackin g or dressing to be delivered to the brush or roller 0. This roller 6 may be driven more or less rapidly to carry or deliver more or less blacking or dressing to the brush 0. This I may do by changing the size of the gear 0? on the journal of the roller 6, the toothed speed-wheel f, which engages the said gear 6 and drives the said roller 0, being mounted on a stud of an adjustable carrier,f, provided with a locking device,f to engage an arch, f and hold the said carrier in proper position.

In practice I prefer to slightly groove, flute, or pit the roller 6, to enable it to take up a greater quantityof blackin g or dressing. The hide or skin as it leaves the supporting-surface a is delivered upon an endless belt or moving bed, 9, herein shown as composed of cords or tapes extended about rollers g g the 'one 9 beingdriven positivelyfrom the toothed wheel I) by the intermediate worm, h, which engages the pinion h at the end of the said shaft g. The tanned hide or skin to be dressed is introduced between the supporting-surface a and roller or brush 0 under a roller, l, which, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4., has itsjournals mounted on levers or arms 1, pivoted at Z and acted upon by springs 1 to keep the said roller depressed upon the hide or skin to properly hold it. The front ends of the levers or arms 1 are joined to a holding-bar, m, which is of a shape to fit the space between the brush 0, the support a", and roller Z. The under side of this holding-bar (see Fig. 4) is so shaped, curved, and located with relation to the surfaces of the roller land the supporting-surface a as not to bear upon the hide or skin until after the passage of the edges of the same beyond the nip of the roller 1, the said holding-bar being devised to act upon and hold the end of the hide or skin, after passing beyond the nip of roller 1, (thelatter then dropping,) and prevent thehideor skin being drawn in too rapidly. In front of the apparatus I have placed a table, a.

In some instances and for some classes of work I modify the machine so far described,

as represented in Fig. 6, and where I have shown the rollerl as elevated considerably above the position shown for it in Figs. 3 and 4, and in such position there will be left sufficient space to permit the operator to retain hold of and control the position and movement of the hide or skin being acted upon by the brush or roller 0, and in such case also the holding-bar on would be omitted.

To prevent the blacking or dressing being thrown from the brush or roller 0 toward the front of the machine I have provided the auxiliary spatter-guard 0. The roller Z and the holder in, when used, also serve to prevent the blacking or liquid dressing from being thrown out at the frontof the machine. The supporting-surface a and brush 0 are as long as the maximum width of the hide or skin to be blacked or dressed; but as the hides or skins being finished or dressed are always different, both as to width and outline at their edges, it results that the brush 0 always applies blacking or dressing to more or lessof the surface a.

The blacking or dressing applied to the surface a must all be removed and the surface be left clean so as not to apply blacking or dressing to the under side of the hide or skin as it comes in contact with it. To do this I have provided a wiper or cleaner, 1), (shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3,) as a strip of flexible material held by a suitable adjustable bar, 19 so that the edge of the wiper or cleaner may be pressed with more or less force against the surface a the degree of its pressure being preferably regulated by adjusting-screws 19 The material wiped or scraped from the surface 0. drops into the trough q and passes therefrom into a suitable pail or bucket to be rinsed, if desired.

I wish it to be understood that 1 do not desire to limit my invention to the use of awiper or cleanerjust such as shown, as I might employ a knife edge or blade closely fitted to the surface a, or I might employarotating cleaner and remove the blacking or dressing from the said rotating cleaner by means of a blade; but I prefer to employ as the best means known to me a flexible orindia-rubber wiper or cleaner such as herein shown. Apatent of the United States, No. 227 ,204, granted to me May 4,1880, shows the first form of mechanism which I built and experimented with in the blacking, dressing, and finishing of hides and skins; but, as will be noticed by a comparison of the drawings of the said patent with my present drawings, 1 have very considerably altered the construction of the parts.

By drivingthe brush-roller c and the supporting-surface 0; independently I am enabled to rotate either at any desired speed, and thus rub the blacking, coloring, or dressing matter more or less into the surface of thehideor skin.

The bearings for the brush 0 and roller 6 will preferably be made adjustable vertically to accommodate for the thickness of theleather and compensate for wear.

I claim- 1. In a machine for blacking or dressing leather, hides, or skins, the rotating supporting-surface for the leather, the receptacle for blacking or dressing, the receptacle-roller c, and the blacking or dressing applying brush or rollerc, located between the receptacle-roller and the said supportingsurface, combined with the wiper or cleaner 1), to operate substantially as described.

2. In a machine for blacking or dressing leather, hides, or skins, the brush or roller 0 and rotating supportingsurface, combined with the spatter-guard and spatter-roller below it, and with a wiper or cleaner, to operate substantially as described.

3. The brush or roller 0 and rotating supporting-surface, combined with the roller 1 IIS and holding-bar, substantially as and for the In testimony whereof I have signed my name 10 purpose described. to this specification in the presence of two sub- 4. In a machine for blacking or dressing scribing witnesses. hides 0r skins, the blacking or dressing applying brush or roller 0 and rotating support- FRED B. BATOHELDER. in g-surface, combined with the movableor traveiin g surface to receive the blacked or dressed Witnesses hide or skin from the said supporting-surface, G. W. GREGORY, substantially as described. V. H. SIGSTON. 

